Dear John Barron,

Congratulations on a great Iditarod race! Thirty-ninth place and you finished. We knew you could do it! We learned that you have finished fifteen Iditarod races! We thought it was cool that you finished with most of your team and that you won the Sportsmanship Award! Great job!

We were amazed to learn what the teams and mushers have to endure in the Iditarod, as well as all of the training, equipment and money involved. We also think it would be very c-c-cold to race that long, sleeping outside with the dogs during layovers.

We think it is cool that you are originally from Texas and that in the summer you ranch with horses. We love horses and think that would be fun. One of us, Kirsten, has a horse that she'll be training this summer. We hope your training horses and dogs goes well.

We plan to follow the Iditarod every year, and we'll be rooting for you! Again, Congratulations! You did a great job!

Sincerely,

Ali and Kirsten
Ms. Hauser's Class
Willmar, Minnesota